horsewhip

plural horsewhips · alternative horse whip · alternative horse-whip

1. A whip for use on horses.

   Hearing the rout, Dame Gill came out, With a horse whip from the door, She laid it on Jack, And poor Jill's back, Until they both did roar.

   1810, Jack and Jill, and old Dame Gill, York: J. Kendrew, page 14

   1 more example

   He had told his wife that he would ask Fletcher to give up the borough, and that he would make that request with a horsewhip in his hand. It was too late now to say anything of the borough, but it might not be too late for the horsewhip. He had a great desire to make good that threat as far as the horsewhip was concerned,—having an idea that he would thus lower Fletcher in his wife’s eyes.

   1876, Anthony Trollope, “The Silverbridge Election”, in The Prime Minister. […], volume II, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, page 234

present singular third person horsewhips · participle present horsewhipping · participle past horsewhipped · past horsewhipped · alternative horse whip · alternative horse-whip

1. transitiveTo flog or lash (someone or something) with a horsewhip.

   [T]heir children were horsewhipped by the grieve when found trespassing; […]

   1815 February 24, [Walter Scott], chapter VII, in Guy Mannering; or, The Astrologer. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and Archibald Constable and Co., […], →OCLC, page 110

   4 more examples

   "Dangerous things, sir—dangerous things!" exclaimed Mr. Lintot, drawing a deep breath of air from the open window: "do you know, sir, Curl published a lampoon on Lord Hervey the other day, who said that he would have horsewhipped him if he could have found his way into the city. Only think, sir, of horsewhipping a publisher!" and Mr. Lintot grew pale with excess of horror.

   1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “Alteration”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 22

   Of course he would be justified in horsewhipping him. But there were difficulties. A man is not horsewhipped simply because you wish to horsewhip him.

   1876, Anthony Trollope, “The Silverbridge Election”, in The Prime Minister. […], volume II, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, page 235

   [H]e horsewhipped Sam Brewer, the well-known Curzon Street moneylender, on Newmarket Heath. He nearly killed the man.

   1927 March 5, Arthur Conan Doyle, “The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place”, in The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes, New York, N.Y.: A[lbert] L[evi] Burt Company, published June 1927, →OCLC, page 277

   Ten years ago, with the secret out, they and South African judge James Harkess arrived back in London, with the husband/father saying he wanted to have Mr Clark horsewhipped.

   2004 June 12, Vikram Dodd, “Coven's footnote to Clark diaries”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 14 Sep 2014